Thermally reversible gels in electrophoresis. I: Matrix characterization

Two series of thermally reversible, hydrogen-bonded gels have been characterized: 5% PVA-4% PEG and 5% PVA-0.04% borate gels. They both have extremely low melting points (16-17 degrees C) and could be of potential interest for recovery of proteins after preparative electrophoresis. The PVA-borate gels can be exploited in the pH range 7-11 by progressively increasing the borate content in the pH interval 8 to 7 and concomitantly decreasing the borate levels in the pH zone 8 to 11. It is hypothesized that the low melting point of these gels is due to the fact that they are sparingly and sparsely hydrogen bonded along the PVA chain: on the average, 1 -OH group out of 3 or 4 -OH's in the PVA polymer should be engaged in H-bond formation.